Polygon Faces Backlash As Polygon’s zkEVM is Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Compatible, Not EVM-Equivalent

Polygon has been dishonest about its status as an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-equivalent; in reality, their zkEVM is an EVM-compatible system.

Fully agree with this definition of zkEVM. It's exactly what describes @zksync v2 — the zkEVM which is live on testnet for >6 months and coming to mainnet in <100 days.

Cheers to Polygon for giving up the false EVM-equivalence claims after just 2 days! https://t.co/qQBiw2YzrZ

— Alex G. (@gluk64) July 22, 2022

As reported by The Crypto Basic Polygon zkEVM (zero-knowledge Ethereum virtual machine) was launched on July 20th. It is the first supposedly Ethereum-equivalent scaling solution that works seamlessly with all existing smart contracts, developer tools, and wallets that were launched only a few days ago. It employs strong encryption known as zero-knowledge proofs.

There was some speculation that Polygon had the best zkEVM due to them being 100 percent equivalent to Ethereum code. However, it appears that the founder is subtly sliding back on that point, which makes it clear that the people at Polygon have been spreading misinformation and engaging in false advertising.

Recent events have made it abundantly evident that the Polygon zkEVM will, as an alternative, be compatible with all current Ethereum apps and will replicate the Ethereum Virtual Machine at the op-code level, despite the fact that it will not be equal to these applications. 

Solidity, Ethereum’s programming language, will soon be accessible to developers, removing a significant barrier to entry. As a result, developers will be able to begin their projects. In addition, current Ethereum software, such as wallets like MetaMask and development environments like Hardhat, will be compatible with Polygon zkEVM when it is released later this year.

Reddit user u/mybed54 says, “Polygon lied about being EVM-equivalent, their zkEVM is actually EVM-compatible.”

Polygon, formerly known as Matic Network, is a system for interoperability and scalability used to create blockchains that are compatible with Ethereum. Polygon SDK, a modular and adaptable framework that facilitates the construction of a wide variety of decentralized apps (dApps), serves as the platform’s primary component.

zkEVM was first teased by Polygon at EthCC Paris in July 2021. The company claims that it is meant to integrate easily with all current smart contracts, developer tools, and wallets while reducing user friction by eliminating the need for any code change or re-implementation.